Socioemotional Skills in the Teaching-Learning Process Mediated by Medium- and High-Fidelity Clinical Simulation in Nursing Students: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Abstract

Background In nursing education, contact with real scenarios implies the design of favorable experiences to develop prioritization, reasoning, critical thinking, and management skills that support future practice. In the context of the teaching-learning process, simulation emerges as a support strategy, but its use and management require the knowledge and appropriation of teachers. Clinical simulation during education promotes growth in technical skills and aptitudes such as critical thinking, emotional management, organization, delegation, and teamwork. The culmination positively impacts the student, reflecting on their confidence, security, and adaptability to unexpected or unknown situations and risks. Objective The aim of this scoping review is to determine the socioemotional skills described during the teaching-learning process mediated by medium- and high-fidelity clinical simulation in nursing students. Methods The main concepts and limits of the research area will be determined according to the 5 phases of a scoping review proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. Research articles and postgraduate theses published between 2010 and 2023 in English and Spanish will be considered. Dissertation-type documents, book chapters, editorials, abstracts, and articles focused on clinical simulation among nursing professionals will be excluded. The articles will be retrieved from databases available at the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, along with CINAHL, Scielo, and PubMed. The search strategy will be based on the Population-Concept-Context framework. Article selection will be carried out by 2 independent evaluators who will review titles and abstracts in stage 1 and the full text in stage 2. A database of retrieved articles will be built with the variables of interest. A qualitative thematic analysis will be conducted by 5 independent reviewers to provide an overview of the literature, focusing on identifying similarities and contrasts between studies and contributions related to the aspects of social skills described in nursing students. Results The investigation has not yet started. The findings aim to focus on variables within the academic environment that, when correlated with the clinical simulation experience, may determine student learning. The working hypothesis is that students who experience greater satisfaction or possess better communication skills also demonstrate superior performance during high-fidelity simulation activities. The most relevant results will be contrasted considering the stated objective and knowledge gaps. Key aspects will also be compared with other reviews addressing related topics such as communication, self-efficacy, and self-confidence. Skills described by other authors that were not considered in the initial literature review will also be mentioned. Conclusions Educational institutions are responsible for including learning experiences in controlled environments such as medium- and high-fidelity simulation to ensure the acquisition of technical capabilities and additional socioemotional skills. Recognizing and managing emotions is necessary to provide adequate care for users of health care services and for the increased effectiveness of professionals. Trial Registration Open Science Framework p4ays; https://osf.io/p4ays International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/56436